I'm not sure how any of this contradicts or doesn't directly support the messaging of the film, which is what Yoda says to Luke. Even in that scene, Yoda burns down the old Jedi temple/tree. Because he knows that Rey has the Jedi texts.
The messaging was never "keep the past" but rather "learn from the past and use that knowledge to inspire future generations".
The messaging could hardly be any clearer. Luke transforms from "it's time for the Jedi to end" to "I will not be the last Jedi".
"Learn from your mistakes" is a subplot for the OT characters to learn. They have nothing to do with the current gen characters. The Yoda / Luke scene happened so Luke could learn this as it was his battle. It has zero to do with the overall theme of the movie and is surface level stuff ,which is what people have been trying to point out to you.
i can't believe 9 pages in and people are misconstruing the Yoda / Luke scene , cherry pickinng details from it to support "learn from your mistakes". One major detail omitted is the fact that Yoda burned the Jedi books in front if Luke to drive the theme that everyone is missing
This movie follows three threads (Kylo/ Rey/ Luke, Rose / Finn, and Poe / Leia) each sharing a common theme that being the theme of the movie: to not idolize legends and realize that the people you look up to are just as fall-able as you and to follow your own path. Every single one of the three threads follows this to a T.
The theme is to reject idolized "heroes" and to set yourself apart and find your own path. Not only is this the driving idea behind this movie, but an extended one introduced early on in TFA, which introduces us to a Kylo obsessed with being like his Grandfather.
Kylo grew up in the shadow of these legends, one who he thinks even tried to murder him, and who also worhsipped his grandfather, someone who paved his own path.
The common thread that runs across , Rey / Luke, Rose / Fin , Kylo and The Order is that each made the mistake of looking up to heroes (kylo: vader, rey: luke, rose : finn, etc) only to find out they were all fallable. Poe is the only one who rejects idolizing anyone and insists he knows what needs to be done to save the lives of the rebels.
Then you have the sub plots for said fallable heroes, namely Luke. In other words, learning from failure is a means to an end for Luke and a driving force to help propel him to help push the plot forward . Again, Finn, Rey, Rose have not failed so driving home that the theme of the movie is learning from mistakes is not applicable. These are
Rose is a clear indicator here. Her first scene with Finn and she is head over heels over the stories and how he's this hero, only to find out he is self indulgent and winds up being the hero saving his life. Her arc is complete in this movie. She's not worshipping Finn and romanticizing him as a hero and stands side by side with him as the movie closes.
Yea, Yoda does nearly break the fourth wall. But after telling Luke he doesn't and never needed the teachings in books to pave the oath forward to him. He had experience, failures, to help him master his path. The moving from failures isnt the cruz of the message, it is why you need to move from said failures that is. Luke is down here because he feels he cannot inspire after making a mistake because he failed expectations of the code , of his teachings. Yoda is there to say those expectations do not matter. Only the choice to continue does. That's a lesson for Luke . He too need not worship an idolized version of his "legend".
When you look at all three arcs in TLJ, they all land right where they need to be to drive home all of this. Kylo is now Supreme Chancellor, Rey is a Knight in her own right, Poe'a instincts to follow his own instincts saves what little of the rebellion is left and Rose is a bad ass. They didn't learn from the mistakes of Luke, Vader , Leia etc. No, they accomplished this despite of these "legends".
